More Injury Woe For Reds

Manchester United defenders Matteo Darmian and Chris Smalling have joined the Reds' ever-growing injury list after suffering knocks in the Champions League defeat in Wolfsburg on Tuesday night.

Darmian was forced off just before the break with a hamstring problem, while Smalling suffered a groin strain late on. The Reds had made all three substitutions by that point and with the centre-back struggling to jump, Louis van Gaal was forced to move him up front and put midfielder Michael Carrick, who had come on for Bastian Schweinsteiger, into the back four.

Van Gaal was asked about both Darmian and Smalling after the game and he admitted the first prognosis did not look positive.

"Matteo Darmian has a hamstring injury and Smalling probably a groin injury," he confirmed. "Smalling could not jump at the moment of the set plays and that goal [Wolfsburg's third] was also because of that. He had to give it [defensive responsibility] to another player and that's always a question of communication and quality. With Naldo [who scored twice], we knew in advance that he was a very important header for them."

Asked whether or not he expected both players to recover in time for Saturday's tea-time trip to Bournemouth in the Barclays Premier League, van Gaal added: "I don't know, it's happened this evening, but normally they are out for Saturday."

Darmian and Smalling join Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw, Antonio Valencia, Ander Herrera, Morgan Schneiderlin and Wayne Rooney on United's current lengthy injury list.